McPherson (Long Island U., Brooklyn) examines the life of Martha Hill, an educator who founded numerous college dance programs and summer festivals throughout the 20th century. Beginning with Hill's childhood in the Bible Belt, the author charts all of the significant contributions her subject made in the world of dance and dance education, from establishing a program at New York University at the height of the Great Depression to the conservatory programs at Juilliard well into the 1990s. This biography should interest students of both dance and the theater in general. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)